Christian Wijnants S/S 2014 Paris

[Morphe]

src: style.com

 

[Morphe]

 

[Morphe]

 

[Scott]

very eclectic for christian....the kind of quirky mixing you'd expect from bernhard willhelm but with the restraint of dries van noten. very good stuff though a lot of really interesting pieces. that electric blue looks so good.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

I found the tube socks distracting the first time I looked through it. Kept reminding me of my boyfriends in middle school in the late 70s.

But I do remember thinking that this was one of the prettiest uses of camo print I'd seen.

 

[Bernadette]

Christian Wijnants wove ethnic influences and graphic effects inspired by sportswear into his spring collection, which he said was inspired by Somali women who play basketball in defiance of threats from Islamist militants.

Wijnants, winner of the 2013 International Woolmark Prize, went for a lightweight look with sundresses in a crinkled silk organza in light gray and beige stripes that was draped into asymmetrical folds, and sheer linen wide-legged pants, including one pair in a striking shade of Tuareg blue.

Source: wwd.com

 

[FashionFanatico]

can somebody tell me why he is such an underrated designer?

he has such a good feeling for colour and shapes. everything looks so effortless young and fresh.

 

[Scott]

ah,so that makes the tube socks and the eclecticism and volume make a lot of sense....really quite poignant too.

good going to christian!

you know fashionfanatico....i think it's because christian is still one of the few last remaining young independent designers we have working....and because he keeps his collection on smaller scale,and has for a while,even going through a period of not even showing,it's kept his profile lower. but that's changed a lot however now that he's won the woolmark prize....he's got a huge window/floor display at bergdorf's in NY currently.

 

[Not Plain Jane]

Very cool inspiration. Now I see the tube sock in a more meaningful light, and even the use of camo becomes something deeper again, actually attached back to the context from which it comes - military!! Again, thanks to Bernadette for the review!

Yeah, I like this collection more by the minute!

 

[FashionFanatico]

you know fashionfanatico....i think it's because christian is still one of the few last remaining young independent designers we have working....and because he keeps his collection on smaller scale,and has for a while,even going through a period of not even showing,it's kept his profile lower. but that's changed a lot however now that he's won the woolmark prize....he's got a huge window/floor display at bergdorf's in NY currently.

thank you very much Sott for your profound answer!
it,s great that the prize (and it's money) was such a door opener to bring him back in his well deserved spotlight. with a collection full of political poetry.

it,s growing more and more on me now knowing his fab inspiration, thanks Bernadette for that.

truly one to watch.

 

[Deleted member 119799]

he's been one to watch for like a decade now
at first i thought the review on style.com was unnecessarily harsh, but he really needs to push himself and blow everyone away.
this was his moment to do it and although there is nothing wrong with this collection, it should've been amazing.

he's had so many amazing opportunities but he never seems to have really used them.

maybe next season..............

 

[Deleted member 119799]

September 26, 2013 Paris
By Maya Singer
This evening's Christian Wijnants show left you with a sense of gnawing dissatisfaction. Not because he lacks for ideas or talent, but rather because he patently has the goods, and this seemed a missed opportunity for a breakthrough collection. Wijnants' concept was rich: He was paying homage to the Islamic women in Somalia who play basketball, in transgression of religious custom and at risk to their own lives. And the designer took the right elements from that reference, mixing up traditional African prints and sport-influenced silhouettes and graphics, and elaborating a more abstract theme involving concealment and exposure. That resulted in a clutch of very strong pieces: His drooped basketball shorts are among the cooler looks to appear thus far on a catwalk for Spring, and his sheer printed dresses and anoraks had a real poetry. But the looks never properly cohered. It was hard to figure out exactly how Wijnants was getting in his own way. The styling was an issue, frankly, and he almost completely eschewed his signature technical knits, which was something akin to making a collection with one hand tied behind his back. (Such is Wijnants' way with knitwear that he was, just last season, awarded the Woolmark Prize as a result of it.) Both those qualms are rather easily addressed. The bigger issue may be that Wijnants has yet to summon the nerve to meet his formidable potential. Last season was a more coherent and, in some ways, ambitious outing. But given this designer's keen intellectual gifts and his remarkable technical prowess, you really have to demand he keep pushing.

style.com

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

ive never heard of him before. i really like this collection

 

[Scott]

you're welome fashionfantatico!

i'm not sure what exactly maya singer is asking for here? is she wanting him to be somebody he's not? is she wanting him to start pandering and change like peter pilotto has? because that's never going to happen with christian...i've been watching christian since his 2002/03 debut myself and he is nothing if not consistently his own designer. and obviously his work is strong enough to stand on its own otherwise he wouldn't be collecting all these prestigious awards he has in recent years. sounds a bit overly picky if you ask me.

 

[MulletProof]

So, what, he should continually do knitwear now that he's won the award?. 2004, 2006 featured less than we're seeing here, if we're going to go by numbers. Way to reduce someone's skills through lack of research, familiarity and evident appreciation of the subject she's covering.

By now I think it's clear that he's left the "art" of "blowing minds" or being "one to watch" to people who need such boxes or stunts and he'd rather stay independent and work at his own rhythm, not once did he resort to that during his look-books stage, instead he continued to work on prints, his deep palettes, fluid silhouettes, which for me is what's outstanding about his work and is all here, still vivid and firm after years of work, especially in the first part of the collection... the fabrics flow beautifully and despite being Belgian, he nails summer like no other. Looking at his work after his comeback, its simplicity in an event where everyone is dying for center stage, feels like oxygen to me. I love how he did mismatching on purpose but what I love the most are those bits that would be edited elsewhere just to comply with the cartoon styling has become nowadays and desperately sell. The "issue" Singer calls feels more like a trait to me, not surprised the "bigger issue" she mentions has gone unnoticed even when smacking her in the face...


I'd get every single piece...

Thanks for posting, Morphe!

 

[Scott]

strangely,all the while she's knit picking she offers absolutely nothing of substance as far as what these issues actually are....and just saying "do more" is lazy at best. i agree with you mullet,clearly singer has a very limited amount of knowledge on christian otherwise she wouldn't contrary criticisms based on nothing.

to be honest,if there is anything at all i wish christian would evolve into....it's adding a men's range. i would wear everything he does.

 

[maimon]

love the colors and styling! i think im gonna keep checking up his collections